I was utterly surprised and impressed at how smooth the online matches were, and just how much I enjoyed it overall. For the first of its kind, Burning Skies does a hell of a job replicating the online multiplayer experience found on consoles-complete with lobbies, matchmaking, voice chat via Party, social aspects via Near, and leaderboards.

No, you won't find volumes of content or progressive new ideas, and the forced touchscreen controls are a minor strategic bungle. However, the well-paced single-player campaign is punctuated by a strong and varied weapon set and online multiplayer that hits an unprecedented level of quality for a handheld.

Its story unfolds at a good pace and looks great on the Vita. There's only one thing missing: the skies were never burning! Maybe a bit dark in places, but never burning. At some point I could have used a burning sky to lighten up the game.

Resistance Burning Skies is the first FPS on PS Vita to use the game controls of an handheld device successfully, despite not being as good as Uncharted Golden Abyss or WipEout 2048 in terms of quality. The IP would have been better if the developers proposed more innovations as regards the level design, but the principal elements of the Resistance franchise have not been forgotten, espcially its multiplayer mode. For its first entry on PS Vita, Resistance Burning Skies copes pretty well.

The hype machine put a lot on the shoulders of Resistance: Burning Skies and the initial multiplayer snags didn't help matters. Still, I have enjoyed it and I think anyone who likes the series will too.

In the end, Resistance: Burning Skies Review is a good first person shooter title for the PS Vita that although won't win any awards for originality, it still provides the player with a fun game with decent controls.

Resistance: Burning Skies is an admirable effort but ends of leaving a lot to be desired. The game may carry the popular Resistance name, but the experience certainly doesn't mimic the standard(s) set by that previous entries in the series. Still, this is solid proof that the FPS-genre can succeed on a handheld system.

Burning Skies isn't a failure by any means. While the visuals won't sell you on the console's power like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, the campaign is filled with the big boss fights and unique weaponry you expect from the series. As long as you're not hoping for a console-quality multiplayer experience, Burning Skies should satisfy fans.

While Burning Skies in fact proves that the Vita is capable of handling the First Person Shooter genre, the game in itself leaves much to be desired. A weak story, an uninteresting online multiplayer and an overall lack of polish keep it from reaching the lofty heights the franchise deserves.

Resistance:Burning Skies offers decent controls and pretty cool weapons. Although that's an accomplishment in itself, the game does nothing further to set itself apart and merely offers a mediocre experience.

There is potential here, some moments that show the capability of Vita to present a really good FPS experience, but those moments are undermined by important graphical glicthes, poor AI, bland story and and a too short campaign with basic multiplayer.

Resistance Burning Skies made us angry: expectations were high, and not all were disappointed, but the general impression is that with greater care and attention to detail, it could have easily become a must buy, bolstered by a well-designed control system, a large arsenal and a funny multiplayer. As it stands, however, is only recommended for fans of the genre or of the Resistance brand.

The FPS doesn't launch with much of a bang on the Vita. Resistance is a decidedly average game with major control and graphics issues that make it a chore more often that you'd like. The promise of competitive online is mostly squandered.

Nihilistic proves that ego-action finally can work rather well on mobile platforms – in theory. But as part of the Resistance franchise Burning Skies is rather disappointing. The formula has been boiled down to run of the mill action with unbelievable characters in rather bland surroundings and forced touch controls that will distract you more than they will help.

Resistance: Burning Skies can be linear and its mission objectives predictable, but it has the look and feel of a fully-fledged shooter, and that's something you won't find elsewhere. The visuals look almost on par with its PS3 forebears on the smaller screen and the gameplay endeavours match them in scope and intensity. In theory, it should be a classic, but a weak story and straightforward missions makes it only surface-deep.

It not only becomes increasingly repetitive as it nears the climax but also puts a significant strain on players' patience as Nihilistic injects enemies with a higher HP and more powerful weapons, rather than finding a more engaging way to challenge players. It's a jarring difficulty spike that almost undermines everything the game has so far accomplished as it impressively leaps from one set-piece to the next.

The shooting is top notch, but poor pacing and bland environments ensure you never engage with what's going on, and technical hiccups and formulaic game modes sour the multiplayer. This game proves the potential power of the genre on its device, but not the potential excellence of its own franchise.

Hardcore Resistance fans will no doubt like what Nihilistic have managed to get the Vita to do, but for everyone else this is little more than a competent, hard working game that ticks the right boxes but never really pushes the boat out. The graphics are hit and miss, the sound generally terrible and the controls need some work. But it's not a bad game.

Saying Burning Skies is a bit too linear for its own good would be a little bit unfair since the FPS genre has become synonymous with heavily scripted and action packed events. But that's exactly what is missing in Burning Skies: the action. [June 2012, p.84]

Burning Skies leaves little doubt that the Vita is a comfortable home for first-person shooters, but the platform's first FPS is disappointingly dated. Toothless enemies and simplistic level design make for tepid campaign action, and the solid multiplayer suite is too limited to be a big draw.

Resistance: Burning Skies should have been a must-have PlayStation Vita title, but in the rush to get the system's first dual analogue FPS out onto the market, Sony missed the Chimera's head with Riley's axe and chopped the legs right out from under it instead. It's discouraging to see, especially when Vita could greatly benefit from a solid first party release. The only thing burning in these Chimeran-infested skies here is a whole lot of wasted potential.

Resistance: Burning Skies is an excellent proof of concept. It is the tech demo that shows third-party publishers that first-person shooters can be achieved on the Vita hardware. It is by no means a crowning achievement. Instead, Nihilistic have opened the door for other, more accomplished developers to step through.

Developer Nihilistic seems settled on the idea that bringing Resistance to the Vita is an inherently bold and innovative move, and that doing anything truly interesting beyond that is unnecessary. It's not a strictly bad FPS, but it's so damn perfunctory, so set on ticking the absolute minimum number of boxes and moving on, it's largely boring and forgettable.

It's the little things that add up, one by one, to an often hypnotically bland, slapdash campaign. The core is sound enough, but Burning Skies is far too shabby in places for what is supposed to be the flagship first-party shooter on the Vita - indeed, the flagship shooter on handhelds, full stop.

Resistance: Burning Skies is a competent game that simply falls flat in just about every category. The shooting is mechanically sound, but never really interesting. The presentation is simply broken at times, and the cut scenes are downright embarrassingly low-resolution. The online is dismissive and the campaign is short and flat. It really feels like this is more of an example of what can be done with a shooter on the Vita, than a thought-out experience.

Resistance: Burning Skies feels like an unfinished proof of concept. It works, in that it functions and does what it promises to do, and even has some great ideas from a technical perspective, but the game that surrounds it never put me on the edge of my seat, or compelled me to play through it, unable to stop at a checkpoint and take care of important events in real life. It doesn't suck one in and its multiplayer, despite a level-unlock system and eventual access to the upgrades from the campaign, feels tinny and incomplete.

Sadly, Resistance's debut on the PS Vita is undone by the very concept it proves. In time, we may see first-person shooters thrive on this system, and that's a relief, but Burning Skies doesn't warrant a place among them.

The series' modest ambitions are here scaled back to a glum inventory of FPS conventions, its spectacle dampened by hardware limitations and dormant art direction, and its platform-specific novelties largely revealed as fussy irritations, presumably born of a need to promote the struggling Vita's features.

The weapon variety that defines the series is flaccid at best, the story is forgettable, and the multiplayer isn't even as varied as the last handheld game in the series. It's hard to even recommend this one to gamers who've spent the last six years popping Chimera skulls.

It is visually atrocious, interactively vapid and incomplete to a degree that a full retail price is an insult. It's tempting to buy this just to have something new on the system, but good things come to those that wait, and it's hard to imagine anything not being good compared to this mess.

After playing through the single player campaign, I can safely say it's a very enjoyable experience. :) Not sure what the reviewers wereAfter playing through the single player campaign, I can safely say it's a very enjoyable experience. :) Not sure what the reviewers were playing, but it's a good story with pitch-perfect game play mechanics. It is anywhere from 5 to 8 hours, depending on which difficulty you choose. There is some replay value here, specifically with gun upgrades. This will keep me busy for weeks, at least.

Then, there is the multi-player. THIS is where the game got addicting. I absolutely LOVE the multi-player. You get into the matches very quickly, also...unlike any PSP game. Lol. If you pick it up for nothing else, get it for this. I highly recommend the game to any Vita owner. Again...no idea why anyone would give it a low review. The graphics aren't terrible either. They're fairly good for a handheld title. It may not look AS good as Uncharted: Golden Abyss or Wipeout 2048, but it's pretty close. It's a must-buy!…Full Review »

The first dual analog first person shooter, and apart from a little bit of clunky controls and lacking the insomniac polish, this game is alotThe first dual analog first person shooter, and apart from a little bit of clunky controls and lacking the insomniac polish, this game is alot better than some people are making out. So don't cancel your pre-orders to soon. Sure the game isn't evolutionary but it is robust and offers alot to resistance fans. The campaign is well set out with five main missions which are exactly the right length. The Story is put together with sharp and well presentable cut scenes with better than average audio. With the high level of games on the PlayStation people have come to expect alot from video games with skyrim ranking up over 100 hours. So fans maybe annoyed with the short length to the campaign which at best makes 8+ hours but the fun will carry on in the multiplayer which is fun for short periods of drop in fun, sure the depth is missing but is a foot in the door for the future titles like call of duty to flourish on this evolutionary device. To finish this game shows the bright future ahead for vita and the idea that there is better to come is mouthwatering to say the least.…Full Review »

Playing this now - it's a great FPS and by far the most fun multiplayer on any hand-held. Serves as a taste of what Killzone and Call of DutyPlaying this now - it's a great FPS and by far the most fun multiplayer on any hand-held. Serves as a taste of what Killzone and Call of Duty will build on to deliver a truly superb bundle of shooting fun!!…Full Review »